The next is the transcription of an interview with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, which was broadcast on “Face the Nation Margaret Brennan” on April 27, 2025.
Margaret Brennan: Let’s go to New Hampshire. Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen. Senator Trump president repeated his threat on Saturday to analyze the possible sanctions to Russia. Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that has almost 60 copatrochinters for a draft sanctions law. However, in our interview, Minister Lavrov basically said that its economy is self -sufficient and that sanctions do not matter. Are real leverage at all?
Senator Jeanne Shaheen: Well, I think we should assume Graham’s legislation, and we must pass it through both cameras and put those secondary sanctions to Russia. And the fact is that I have been seeing Minister Lavrov for 16 years since I was in the Senate, and he is very expert in speaking a lot and saying nothing. And in that interview, as we know, he refused to recognize Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. He refused to recognize that it is Russia that is shooting the Zaporizhia nuclear energy plant, not the Ukrainians. He refused to recognize the children of Ukraine who have disappeared in Russia, kidnapped there, hey, he does not. It is an excellent precaricator who never takes a position that opposes what he believes is Russia’s interest.
Margaret Brennan: Summary right there in terms of his abilities to evade direct answers, but responded directly about sanctions, saying trying to eliminate these theses. Given the vote count, do you think could make this to veto proof? What could President Trump force these sanctions to Russia and get the leadership of Congress to really allow you to vote first?
Senator Jeanne Shaheen: Well, I do it, and I think that, in fact, the administration has been working with Senator Graham, and certainly understands that this is legislation that is in process and that there is some real benefit, since Vladimir Putin continues to drag their feet, they can also take more territory in Ukraine and advance better in the position of Russia, this is something that can help reduce them.
Margaret Brennan: I want to ask you about the supervision roles that you have in some of the committees it serves. In the State Department, the Rubio Secretary of State announced an important reorganization last week with plans to reduce personnel by 15%, in all. Also agencies or eliminate them. One of them is the Office of Global Women’s Themes. And I know you have worked personally with many of these diplomats. Can Rubio simply remove it with the blow of a pen?
Senator Jeanne Shaheen: Well, I noticed that one of the things in her survey that people were not happy was the actions of the administration without supervision, advice and consent of the congress. And this is what this administration is talking about, what the Rubio Secretary of State is talking. They are talking about entering, making thesis changes without everyone consulting with Congress. The reason we have a women’s global problem office is what we know about foreign policy is that the women of the country that are empowered are more stable. We know that women return more to their communities, their country, their families, their men. And there is a good reason why we have a global women’s problem office, because it helps us as we think of our foreign policy, and it is one of the advice that the United States has had about our adversaries such as China and Iran.
Margaret Brennan: and previously received the support of the daughter of President Ivanka Trump’s daughter, whom I know worked with the duration of that first administration.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen: I worked very closely with Ivanka, and she supported the world problem problem office.
Margaret Brennan: Let’s see what happens to him. I need to ask you about the Armed Services Committee in which it also serves. Several politicians in the Pentagon have been dismissed or renounced in recent days, which means that the Secretary of Defense currently does not have chief of cabinet, head of the attached cabinet and non -senior policy advisor. Do you worry that you do not have this son of architecture around you and what is Congress doing in terms of supervision?
Senator Jeanne Shaheen: I am worried that he has created chaos in the Pentagon. The fact is that Pete Hegseeth was not qualified to take work as Secretary of Defense, and has demonstrated that again and again. He showed it with his exchange of information classified in a signal chat with the recent exchange of information again to his wife, with his brother, with his lawyer, in an inappropriate signal chat to take classified information and then dance the source information of the Fuente de la Fuente de la Fuente de la Fuente. He has created chaos that is now wrapped uniform, our military uniform in chaos that is creating in the Pentagon without having the appropriate people to administer things, and does not assign the responsibility of their actions. And for those people who serve under him, he has shown that he is not the son of the model to follow, nor the lead son we need at this time.
Margaret Brennan: Very quickly, it is confidential information that the Pentagon is investigating through this investigation of the Inspector General, either classified. Do you have any idea when you will get a clear answer?
Senator Jeanne Shaheen: I do not do it, and I think it is important that it is a bipartisan application to carry out that research to see what was appropriate, and I hope they come soon with the Romens. You know, one of the things that the groups I raised with the Secretary of Defense was what the tariffs are doing to the supply chain for our Department of Defense, we know that the Ukraine War showed us that we have a base challenge. They are worsening for these tariffs. Last week I was in a company in New Hampshire that makes ball bearings for the aerospace industry. They told me that due to tariffs on steel, what used to take them 20 weeks to obtain steel. Now they are having an accumulation of two and a half years that exercises true tension in our defense department.
Margaret Brennan: And I know you looked for more information about that senator. We will have to leave it there. Thanks for moving. We will return in a moment.
